Technology

A lot has changed in the 26 years since Gayle and I did this on our tandem in 1990.  Back then there were no cell phones, no consumer GPS receivers, no laptop PC's, no digital cameras, and no internet.  If you wanted to share a photo with a distant friend, you had to buy a postcard, stick on a stamp, address it, and then hope it arrived before you got home.  If you were lucky, you could get in two sentences.  If you wanted to call home, you had to find a pay phone, stuff it with coins, and then, if you were lucky, you got three minutes to chat with your loved-one.  If you got lost, you were screwed.  To create your memories, you loaded your SLR camera with film and as the rolls were taken, you stuffed them in a baggie and had them developed for $0.50 each once you got home.  If you were lucky, they were in focus, well-cropped, not too bright, and everyone had their eyes open.  Communication with co-workers happened only if one of them happened to be in the little town you were biking through when the local newspaper wrote an article about you (this actually happened to us in 1990).  If you needed a place to stay, you got as far as you were capable of and then started looking for the closest motel, campground, farm field, city park, or back yard, and hoped that someone would have room.  Back then, the only technology I had was a Casio altimeter watch!

Man how things have changed.  Now we have smart-phones that track our exact position via GPS on a map and upload our daily route to the cloud.  Pictures are visible in an instant, and if they don't turn out, they can get retaken.  If you are worried about where to stay, you can call ahead and make a reservation (which unfortunately is now a lot more of a requirement since things have gotten so busy).  If you get separated from your group, a simple phone call locates your lost buddies and you get back together.  Sharing experiences with friends happens through tools like this blog the day that they happen.  Updates to friends and family are a daily occurrence through smart phones.  So, along those lines, we're having a great time...a couple of really sore butts, but lots of fun experiences, great pictures, nice memories, and many conversations with local residents! 

Here's some pictures from the climb up Wauconda Pass.